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Radiant heating
Hydronic heating applications, which uses steam or hot water to heat a building, became widespread in the 1940′s with the advent of hot water radiators, while hydronic cooling technology, using cold water to cool a building, is only now gaining popularity. Hydronic radiant heat uses steam or hot water to heat a surface which then heats the objects or individuals in the immediate area, rather than just warming the air around an object, which is what occurs with conventional heating systems. When a surface is cooled in a radiant cooling system, that surface takes in the heat from the surrounding area, specifically the body heat produced by people in the room. Through a series of pipes installed in the ceiling, walls, or floor, both hydronic radiant cooling and heating systems pump water to cool or heat those surfaces, and then the objects or people in the room. Because heat always rises, the most efficient positioning of radiant heating is the floor, and the recommended place for radiant cooling is above the ceiling where heat is more easily absorbed. There is more to the installation of a hydronic cooling system than a heating system because you want adequate ventilation for fresh air and de-humidifying. Traditional cooling and heating systems, which force hot or cold air into the room through ducts, are not as energy efficient as radiant systems, which will warm or cool you directly. Don’t hesitate to call in a heating professional for installation of a hydronic radiant system, as the project is usually too challenging to be a home do-it-yourself project.

Electric radiant floors
Arguably the most energy efficient heating system is electric radiant floor heater made up of a series of thin cables installed below your flooring. You enjoy a far more efficient distribution of heat with this system because the warmed up floor radiates energy directly to objects and people in a room evenly. The consistent floor surface temperature translates into a significant reduction of energy usage compared with other heating systems. You won’t have any maintenance problems with this system because there are no ducts, filters or valves to clean out or replace. Conventional systems using forced air allow pollens and dust in from the outside, and with floor vents a lot of dust gets blown around. Since there are no noisy fans and rattling radiators, this is a silent and comfy method of heating. The material you use for flooring is critical, and you should pick either ceramics, porcelain or stone, but avoid hardwoods that expand and contract.

About radiant heating
Of the three possibilities of heat transfer, radiation, convection, and conduction, this article explains radiant heating, where objects and people are warmed by a separate source of heat, and not by currents of warm air. Radiant floor heating systems apply one of three methods to heat the floors of a home, electricity, hot water, or hot air which then heats the objects and the people in the room. Since air is an ineffective medium for retaining heat, it is rarely used nowadays and is considered obsolete. One of the more in-demand heating applications would be electric radiant floor heat, where you install a network of thin electric cables under flooring such as tile, stone, hardwood, or laminated wood. Radiant heating systems using hot water, called hydronics, are the most popular these days since they are the most cost effective, need no electricity, and only involve hot water pumped from a boiler into a network of tubes installed beneath the floor. Using the proper hydronic system you can regulate the temperature for each room by adjusting how much hot water flows through the tubing loops under each room’s floor. The two fundamental installation methods for both electric and hydronic radiant heat flooring systems are “dry” installation, where the water tubing or electric cable networks are sandwiched between plywood sheets and installed underneath the floor, or “wet” installation, where the cables/tubing are embedded in slabs of concrete. While you can use just about any type of floor covering with radiant heating, the most effective flooring is ceramic tiles, while the least effective is carpeting laid over solid wood that is non-laminated.

The subject of heating and cooling is quite extensive and there are a lot of Internet sites which address a particular topic. Here are a couple of suggestions which may be helpful. The following link will lead to information regarding oil furnace care. An additional resource is The Best Pellet Stoves which will have suggestions and recommendations involving the best pellet stoves.